A short presentation for the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Summit 2019 as part of the Top Topics in Elections panel

1. 1 | Presentation Title
Ballot design
that voters can really use
Whitney Quesenbery
Center for Civic Design
civicdesign.org
NCSL Legislative Summit 2019
Top Topics in Elections

2. Democracy
is a design problem

3. We have best practices for ballot design
EAC / Design for Democracy Effective Designs for the Administration of Federal Elections (2007)
Better Ballots (2008), Better Design, Better Elections (2012) and Design Deficiencies and Lost Votes (2011)
Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent, Vol 01 Designing Usable Ballots (2012)
Anywhere Ballot (2013)

4. Design best
practice
makes
marking a
ballot easier
https://www.rankedchoicevoting.org/

5. Why don’t all ballots
use the EAC
best practices?
Typography
Ballot layout
Marking mechanisms
Instructions and messages

6. Ballot design can fool
voters
Even if they think they
know the rules

7. The layout can
hide contests
right on the
ballot
Official General Election Ballot
November 6, 2018
Broward County, Florida
Boleta Oficial De La Elección General
6 De Noviembre Del 2018
Condado de Broward, Florida
Ofisyèl Jeneral Eleksyon Bilten
6 Novanm 2018
Konte Broward, Florida
Ballot Instructions:
• To vote, fill in the oval
completely next to your
choice. Use only the marking
device provided or a black
pen.
• If you make a mistake, ask
for a new ballot. Do not cross
out or your vote may not
count.
• To vote for a write-in
candidate, fill in the oval
and print the name clearly on
the blank line provided for
the write-in candidate.
Instrucciones Para La Boleta:
• Para votar, llene
completamente el ovalo
junto a su selección. Use
sólo un lápiz de punta negra
o una pluma de tinta negra
para marcar la boleta.
• Si se equivoca, pida una
nueva boleta. Si borra algo o
hace marcas, es posible que
su voto no se cuente.
• Para Votar por un candidato
cuyo nombre no está
impreso en la boleta, llene el
óvalo y escriba el
nombre del candidato en la
línea en blanco provista para
un candidato agregado.
Enfòmasyon Sou Bilten Vòt:
• Pou vote, byen kolore tout
andan oval ki akote
respons ou chwazi a.
Sèlman sèvi ak yon plim nwa
oubyen ak yon kreyon pou
ekri sou bilten vòt la.
• Si w fè yon erè, mande yo ba
w yon nouvo bilten vò. Si w
efase oubyen fè novuo mak,
l ap posib pou vòt ou pa
valab ankò.
• Pou vote pou yon kandida ki
pa gen non l enprime sou
bilten vòt la, kolore ti oval la
epi ekri non kandida a
sou liy vid la rezève pou ekri
non yon kandida.
Ballot Style 80 Seq:080
United States Senator
Senador De Los Estados Unidos
Senatè Etazini
(Vote for One)(Vote for One/Vote por Uno/Vote pou Youn)
REPRick Scott
DEMBill Nelson
Write-inWrite-in/Escribir/A lekri
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Gobernador y Teniente Gobernador
Gouvènè Ak Lyetnan Gouvènè
(Vote for One)(Vote for One/Vote por Uno/Vote pou Youn)
REPRon DeSantis
Jeanette Nuñez
DEMAndrew Gillum
Chris King
REFDarcy G. Richardson
Nancy Argenziano
NPAKyle "KC" Gibson
Ellen Wilds
NPARyan Christopher Foley
John Tutton Jr
NPABruce Stanley
Ryan Howard McJury
Write-inWrite-in/Escribir/A lekri
Attorney General
Fiscal General
Pwokirè Jeneral
(Vote for One)(Vote for One/Vote por Uno/Vote pou Youn)
REPAshley Moody
DEMSean Shaw
NPAJeffrey Marc Siskind
Chief Financial Officer
Controlador Estatal
Chèf Ofisye Finans
(Vote for One)(Vote for One/Vote por Uno/Vote pou Youn)
REPJimmy Patronis
DEMJeremy Ring
Write-inWrite-in/Escribir/A lekri
Commissioner of Agriculture
Comisionado De Agricultura
Komisyonè Agrikilti
(Vote for One)(Vote for One/Vote por Uno/Vote pou Youn)
REPMatt Caldwell
DEMNicole "Nikki" Fried
State Senator
District 34
Senador Estatal
Distrito 34
Sena Leta
Distri 34
(Vote for One)(Vote for One/Vote por Uno/Vote pou Youn)
DEMGary M. Farmer Jr
Write-inWrite-in/Escribir/A lekri
Justice of the Supreme Court
Magistrado en el Tribunal Supremo
Jistis Nan Lakou Siprèm
Shall Justice Alan Lawson of the
Supreme Court be retained in office?
¿Deberá retenerse en el cargo al
Magistrado Alan Lawson en el Tribunal
Supremo?
Èske se pou jistis Alan Lawson nan lakou
siprèm rete nan pòs li a?
YesYes/Si/Wi
NoNo/No/Non
Fourth District Court of Appeal
Tribunal De Apelaciones Del Cuarto
Distrito
Katriyèm Distrik Lakou Dapèl
Shall Judge Burton C. Conner of the
Fourth District Court of Appeal be
retained in office?
¿Deberá retenerse en su cargo al Juez
Burton C. Conner del Tribunal del Cuarto
Distrito de Apelaciones?
Èske se pou jis Burton C. Conner nan
katriyèm distrik lakou dapèl rete nan pòs
li a?
YesYes/Si/Wi
NoNo/No/Non
Shall Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz of the Fourth
District Court of Appeal be retained in
office?
¿Deberá retenerse en su cargo al Juez
Jeffrey T. Kuntz del Tribunal del Cuarto
Distrito de Apelaciones?
Èske se pou jis Jeffrey T. Kuntz nan
katriyèm distrik lakou dapèl rete nan pòs
li a?
YesYes/Si/Wi
NoNo/No/Non
Shall Judge Carole Y. Taylor of the
Fourth District Court of Appeal be
retained in office?
¿Deberá retenerse en su cargo al Juez
Carole Y. Taylor del Tribunal del Cuarto
Distrito de Apelaciones?
Èske se pou jis Carole Y. Taylor nan
katriyèm distrik lakou dapèl rete nan pòs
li a?
YesYes/Si/Wi
NoNo/No/Non
1 OF 6 Vote Both Sides of Page / Vote Por Los Dos Lados de la Pagina / Vote Sou Toude Bo Bilten Paj La Typ:01 Seq:0080 Spl:01
11
21
40
41
45
47
54
2008 2018

8. Layout can
make two
contests look
like one
2006
2018

9. Layout can
make one
contest look
like two
2016 Primary

10. How do we fix this?
Better ballot design skills
Ballot standards and layout tools
Review ballots for usability, not just compliance

11. Design printed
ballots so
everyone can
verify them
Summary of selections /
non-selections
Official Ballot
General Election
November 3, 2020
Madison County, State of Maryland
Precint/
ballot ID
President and Vice-President of the United States
Martin Patterson and Clay Lariviere (Labor)
USSenate
You did not vote in this contest
USRepresentative 6th Congressional District
Geln Tawney (Constitution)
Governer
Barbara Adcock (Constitution)
Lieutenant Governor
Edward Freeman (Independent)
Secretary of State
Laila Shamsi (Federalist)
State Senator
Edward Shiplett (Federalist)
State Assembly
Andrea Solis (Federalist)
County Commissioners
Camille Argent (Federalist)
Chloe Witherspoon (Federalist)
Eric Savoy (People’s)
Susan Tawa (People’s)
Registrar of Wills, 4th County Seat
Write-in: Mickey Mouse
Mayor
Orville White (People’s)
City Council, City of Springfield
Beverly Barker (People’s)
Not selected
Not selected
Retain Robert Demergue as Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court?
Yes
Retain Elmer Hull as Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court?
Yes
Proposed Constitutional Amendment C: Recovery of
Property Damages
No
Proposed Constitutional Amendment D: Separation
of Powers
No
Proposed Constitutional Amendment H: Limits to
Damages for Noneconomic Loss
No
Proposed Constitutional Amendment K: Gambling in
Madison and Fromwit Counties
No
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 101: Madison
County College District
Yes
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 102: Madison
County Vehicle Abatement Program
Yes
This is your official ballot. Make sure it is correct before casting it.
If you see an error, bring this to a poll worker.
Optical scan encoding

12. Ballot
standards that
include design
best practice
https://civicdesign.org/showcase/updated-ballot-standards-for-virginia/

13. Election code
shouldn’t
require bad
design or
confusing
language
Party-Nominated Offices
Only voters who disclosed a preference upon registering
to vote for the same party as the candidate seeking the
nomination of any party for the Presidency or election to
a party committee may vote for that candidate at the
primary election, unless the party has adopted a rule to
permit non-party voters to vote in its primary elections.

14. Ballot questions
Voters struggle to understand what
they are being asked to vote on.

15. 43% of adults in the US read at
basic or below basic levels
U.S. National Assessment of Adult Literacy http://nces.ed.gov/naal/kf_demographics.asp
14% 29% 44% 13%
30
Million
63
Million
95
Million
28
Million

16. Should the County Vehicle Abatement Program and
vehicle registration fees (one dollar per vehicle and an
additional two dollars for certain commercial vehicles
payable upon registration of a vehicle) be renewed for a
ten-year term beginning July 1, 2013, for the abatement
and removal of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or
inoperative vehicles?
What will this question do?

17. This constitutional amendment would provide that the
method of selection and appointment of certain municipal
court judges would be set by statute, rather than be
provided for in the Constitution. These judges may include
judges of joint municipal courts and judges of central
municipal courts with jurisdiction extending to the territorial
boundaries of a county.
What will this question do?

18. Democracy is a design problem
Elections work better
when ballots are
usable, accessible, and clear.
For everyone!

19. Whitney Quesenbery
whitneyq@civicdesign.org | @whitneyq
Center for Civic Design
civicdesign.org | @civicdesign
Field Guides To Ensuring Voter Intent
civicdesign.org/fieldguides/
We’ll send you a set of Field Guides.
Just write to:
hello@civicdesign.org